A bits & pieces kind of week . . .

Hello there friends & readers,

It has been a bits & pieces kind of week but I have miraculously achieved lots of completions ...

I managed to put together the horseshoe for my daughter-in-law-to-be that I mentioned last post

And I found a plain white box to decorate  -  for her to store it in

I had offered to make a name bunting for them to hang above the bridal table  
 Nicole had requested the buntings please be scalloped

It is times like this you wish you had given your sons short names (like Sam or Ben) . . . & that they were marrying girls called Sue or Ann !!!!!! (wink)

And then yesterday afternoon Nicole & her lovely Mum Julie came, & we sat in the cool of my dining room & decorated jars for the tables - we needed 16 all up ... a mixture of small & large sizes

these are to hold gypsophlia & 1 or 2 rose buds, for the table centrepieces

Nicole wanted the jars to be all different, but along the same theme, of the hessian & calico & very natural colours.

I really enjoyed doing this little project with some pleasant company thrown in  :-)

Around this time of year I usually make up some stuffed christmas stockings ... I have done these for a few years now ... I had stitched the verse onto calico & sewed the candy canes a few weeks back, but the stockings needed to be assembled & then decorated ... 

It was a rather painstaking "enjoyable" process as I had assistance along the way from Jinxy . . .

. . .  whether I wanted it or not !!!!

One of them has been teadyed quite darkly, the other left paler ... different people like a certain shade/look I find

I really love these stuffed stockings - it is a very old pattern from Melissa Duncan of Mogs Designs - every year I really enjoy making them up.

Two of the things I sold completely out of last Sunday in the Garden Ramble was my herbal mothball sachets & my citrus potpourri.  
I decided I had better rectify this as I had all the ingredients in the cupboard for the mothball sachet mixture ...

You can find the recipe to make these in this older post here

My dehydrator has been working overtime as I dry the oranges from my tree to make up a fresh batch of citrus potpourri

Once again, this is a process that I never grow tired of doing . . .

(thank goodness!!!)

The Mr has been organising a big finale for his Moto X Club as the winter series comes to an end (he is the President of our local Club) ... he wanted to thank the ladies who gave their time to the Club so he requested me to make up 6 large gift baskets to present to them

I had to do this job at the last minute, just prior to the meeting, as otherwise I find if the chocolate is in the house too long, it tends to fall into my mouth melt quite alot!!!!

I have been watching this self sown poppy seedling come up in the path to my Cottage ... just this morning it opened & I just loved the variegated colour ... these pop up regularly in my garden & some I pull out, but decided to leave this one amongst the lavender edging my path

There is such pretty colour in the garden at the moment ... it's nice to capture it on camera to enjoy a little longer & appreciate

And then just this week I harvested & cooked up my very first batch of beetroot for the season ... delicious  :-)

Well friends I am off to make us a salad for dinner, & to feed the rascals 
thanks so much for stopping by today - may your week ahead be filled with many good things
I shall leave you with Blackie pondering life in general !!!!

Cheerio for now,
much love & friendship,
Julie & the rascals x0x0x

Ramble - ing

Good afternoon dear friends & readers,

Yesterday we had the Garden Ramble that I spoke about last post

After a week of bitterly cold, wintery weather, the sun actually shone for us

I did not manage to accomplish everything that I had hoped to ... but not to worry . . .

. . . I found a way round it all . . . 

My sign covered all my bases I thought . . . & made people smile    :-)

Another blackboard I wrote a sign on made them smile also, & click lots of pics of it . . .

The menfolk all commented that next time I have to have a spare blackboard beside this so they can all write a reply!!!

My daughter-in-law Sarah came to help me yesterday & snapped some photos of folk enjoying the garden

Around the pond area - the lavender is not yet flowering

The Cottage was nestled in a frothy pink sea of granny bonnets

The last of my cherry blossom trees still just in bloom

Although the morning was definately busier, we had a constant steady stream of people all day long

I guess the greatest compliment was when 2 posh very well-dressed ladies asked me for the name of my gardener!!
I laughed & explained that I do all the garden myself ... "but you are the "shop girl" aren't you??!!" they exclaimed
"Yes, but I am also the gardener too" I am sure they did not believe me ... I guess its hard for some folk to comprehend that some of us actually have to do everything ourselves!!

When the last of them had gone & I went down to close the gate I took a couple of snaps looking back towards my garden from the depot yard
Our property is rectangular shaped, running parallel to the road & at the far end is a depot yard which we rent out to an Agricultural Contracting firm ... this means I can use the yard for parking for buses or any functions like yesterday

There is a large established border of native trees planted between our lawn & the depot yard & I had planted some baskets of white Impatiens to try to add some lightness to this area. Unfortunately as it has been so cold, they were not blooming well & giving me the effect I had hoped for . . .

Just a week ago a friend popped in to do some early christmas shopping & bought the 2 "pinkeeps" I had out in the Cottage

I found these 2 odd looking stands & also another 2 mini baking tins, so decided to put together a couple more, in between running round like the mad woman that I have been lately !!

I really love these pinkeeps, they are one of my absolute favourite things :-)

After making the cup/saucer birdfeeders last post, I found a few extra china cups that were "surplus to requirements" . . .  so I potted some of them up with delicate baby's tears as thought these may appeal to the gardening customers

I was lucky enough to sell 2 already  :-)


Also - a week ago - I was invited to my future daughter-in-laws Hen Party ... I must confess I have never attended one of these in my entire life til now ... the theme was "1920's dress up"

Yep, thats me, wearing the fox ... but don't panic ... its fake!!! 
And I got my very own sash in case I forgot who I was  ... "Mother of the Groom"

Nicole, my daughter-in-law to be (in 2 weeks time!!) - her bridesmaids dressed her up, she had no idea about any of this!! (incidently Nicole is dark haired, they put a wig on her)

Nicole & her lovely Mum, also named Julie  :-)
(also wearing a sash in case she forgot who she was too!!!)

Well dear friends, thanks for staying with me through this lengthy "rambly" post
I am off now to put together a horseshoe for Nicole - Oh it is lovely not to have to be outside gardening today
We are getting gentle rain which is watering everything nicely for me
Cheerio for now & thanks - as always - for your welcome visit today

Resting up after a stressfull few days "helping Mum"

with much love & friendship,
Julie (shop girl/gardener)
Jinxy & Little Big Blackie
x0x0x0

A Garden Ramble . . . & a new bridge

Good afternoon dear friends & readers

The local Altrusa Club of Te Awamutu asked me to take part in this years Garden Ramble

"please Julie ... we just need one more garden" they asked so very nicely

Myself - as per usual - opened my mouth to decline, & next thing you know . . . I find myself taking part !!!!!****!!!

This is run every year on the first Sunday in November

 It runs rain or shine ... or sleet or snow, or thunder & lightning ... whichever happens, it goes ahead

This year is the 19th Ramble & they are featuring 14 different properties - gardens, but also some homes as well

I am only making my garden & the Cottage available ... 

So as you can imagine, there is lots still to be done ... I work every single day in the garden & then at nights try to make extra stock for the Cottage

I have hung this Welcome Bunting on the outside of the Cottage for a number of years (I take it in each night)

Often it blows away & sometimes I find it, drenched, stuck up in the guttering ... 
I lost it completely over the winter & the farmer returned this sad, faded looking bundle to me last month

I decided it was time for a fresh new one . . .

Last spring I noticed I occasionally would get asked if I had them for sale
so I made a couple extra & bagged them up to sell

As I was down to only one teacup birdfeeder remaining, I sat down & sorted through my cup/saucer collection & made up another batch

With their little packet of "wild bird seed" I am hoping these might appeal to the garden ramble people

A couple of summers ago when The Mr spray painted my cane chairs & table for me (see here) I promised myself to make some cushions to adorn them
It was only yesterday that I actually managed to accomplish this task

... using a nice cheery curtain remnant & a huge $5 bag of stuffing, both from the Hospice shop ...

At long last . . .  it has only taken me 22 months !!!!!

When we first moved here (17 years ago now) I uncovered this old wooden bridge under all the wandering dew in my garden
My stepson commented on it the other day "I remember that bridge, we used to think it had been there since the beginning of time"
It kinda looked like it had . . . So I decided to revamp it . . . 
...bearing in mind I had very little time, energy or resources ... I simply pulled the old palings off, took one into my local Goldpine Store, conned the nice young man to cut me 21 lengths from some old timber "out the back" . . .

When I got them home I dunked them in some waste oil I found in the Mr's old shed & painted the sides of the bridge with some roofing paint (again, unearthed in the Mr's shed)
I then had to cover the bridge with chicken mesh for 2 entire days while the oil soaked in to prevent a certain small furry ginger being from dancing on it all day long !!!!***!!!

I must walk past this bridge at least 8 times a day as its on the way out to my clothes line ... its funny how you can actually not notice something until a comment by someone causes you to stop & look
I am so thrilled with my new/old bridge

The Mr had been playing around with my camera & snapped some photos of the kittens ... looking back through some earlier pics I had taken of Jinxy when she first appeared in our lives with her rattly chest, runny eyes & sallow look ... I loved how healthy she looks now

Timid Jinxy - taken in April

Alert (mischievious) Jinxy - taken in October

Thanks for staying with me through this photo heavy post dear readers
I may not be back here again until after the Garden Ramble
do wish me luck please . . . kinda feels like I might need it !!

It was lovely to have you visit here today
take good care as you are all very special
with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0